


Under My Skin

by annaxmims



Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Brother/Brother Incest, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Past Drug Use, Pet Names, Smut, Smut and Incest in Chapter 2, Two Endings, papi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:07:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22592248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaxmims/pseuds/annaxmims
Summary: Written from this prompt sent to me on Tumblr:I have a story in mind but I have no time to write it nor the English level to do it ( that's the main issue ahah ). But here it goes: Back to 1x03 at the police station, Carlos tells TK about his twin brother ( yes...) and his history with alcool addiction and how he went through it. Then, TK meets the twin and he help him a lot and allows him to get pass his addiction and enjoy life. Plus there's some dirty (sex) scene between TK,Carlos and his twin which is pan enjoy themselves (optional).Ty
Relationships: Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star)/TK Strand, Owen Strand & TK Strand
Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626286
Comments: 1
Kudos: 107





	1. Under My Skin (clean ending)

**Author's Note:**

> This story has two endings, one that includes the sex scene between TK, Carlos and his twin and one that doesn't. The rest of the story is the same. If you don't want to read that scene stick to chapter 1, if you do go ahead to chapter 2.
> 
> If you have a story you want me to write send me an ask or a message on Tumblr
> 
> Tumblr- 911xtarlos

TK was clutching the ice pack to his eye, feeling miserable for himself when none other than Carlos Reyes sat down at the desk in front of him.

“Seriously?” he huffed, sitting back in his chair.

“Austin is a small town TK. Or should I say Tyler Kennedy.”

TK shook his head at the use of his full name, the sound of it making him slump down, shrinking like he used to when he was in trouble and his dad called him Tyler Kennedy.

“Bummer about getting arrested, people might find out your real name. Which marks the first actual thing I’ve learned about you.”

“Isn’t you processing me like a conflict of interest or something?” TK asked, pulling the ice away from his face to look Carlos in the eye. 

“The good news is, neither of your new friends wants to talk about your scuffle tonight,” Carlos said, ignoring his question and reaching down to free him from the cuffs. Since you blew at a 0.0, we’re not even giving you a drunken disorderly.” Carlos slid the plastic bag that held his phone and wallet toward him. “You’re free to go.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is, that means you did this with a clear head.” Carlos sighed and leaned closer. “I’m not trying to be your boyfriend. Or even your friend if you’re not into it, but you should talk to someone about why you felt compelled to do something so suicidal.”

TK’s jaw clenched. Once again, Carlos had unintentionally hit a nerve. What was it about this guy that got so under TK’s skin?

When TK stayed quiet, Carlos sighed again and handed him a box of tissues.

“You’ve got a little crud there, by the way.” Carlos gestured to his mouth.

TK snatched a tissue and wiped at his lip.

“Other side.”

TK rolled his lips and tried again.

“Stop. Just let me.”

Carlos grabbed another tissue and dabbed gently at the corner of his mouth.

“Thanks,” TK whispered, shivering at the brush of Carlos’ knuckles against his jaw. It was unintentional, but there he went again, getting under his skin.

TK hesitated before leaning into Carlos’ space and lowering his voice.

“I’m sorry I went crazy on you the other night.”

“I’m a cop. I’m used to crazy.”

TK hated the dismissive tone.

“Look, I just went through a really bad breakup. Like nuclear bad,” his breath hitched. “And then I relapsed.”

“You mean with me?”

Carlos still wouldn’t look at him.

“No,” he kept his eyes trained on the ground, ashamed of what he was about to say. “I mean with substances.”

Carlos finally met his eyes, “Right. Which explains your reaction to the champagne. I’m such an idiot. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine okay? And, ever since I’ve gotten here it’s-it’s just gray. I just feel numb all the time. I guess I just- I wanted to feel something.”

TK quickly snatched his phone and wallet and stood.

“Judging by that lip I’d say mission accomplished.”

The words stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at Carlos, giving him his best bitchy look.

“You really busting my balls right now?”  
“Yeah. I suppose I am.”

TK bit his lip to hide his smile, repressing the urge to kiss that little smirk off his face. 

*****

“What the hell happened to you? Oh wait, don’t tell me. Bar fight.”

T.K jumped at the sound of Owen’s voice. His dad was sat at the kitchen island, holding a cup of coffee, waiting on him like he used to as a teenager when he was out too late.

“How did you know?” He asked, crossing the room to sit on the stool next to him.

“Carlos called me.”

“Damn it Carlos,” T.K muttered.

“He said you blew 0.0, so you’re not in trouble for that.”

“What are you gonna do ground me?”

Owen just raised his eyebrows at him.

“Sorry,” TK mumbled.

“It’s okay. I know it’s been rough, but you can’t just go out looking for dangerous shit to do.”

“I know. I’m just- I’m sick of feeling numb all the time. It sucks.”

“I know bud,” Owen placed a firm hand on the back of his neck. “It’s gonna get better. Now go get some ice for that eye and tell me about Carlos.”

“Seriously dad?”

“Yes seriously.”

TK stood up and grabbed a bag of frozen peas, that he wrapped in a dish towel and pressed over his eye.

“There’s not much of a story. We hooked up and then it got- weird.”

“Weird how?”

“Well he cooked me dinner.”

“Oh my God that’s horrible,” Owen gasped in fake shock. “I can’t believe he’d do something like that.”

“Dad.”

“Sorry. I just don’t see the problem.”

“He cooked me dinner, and he had champagne and he tried to make it a whole thing. And I know it wasn’t his fault because he didn’t know and he was just trying to be nice but I flipped out anyway.”

“Okay, breathe bud,” Owen paused for a second. “Do you like Carlos?”

“Yeah. At least I think I could. But I’m not ready to be someone’s boyfriend again. Not after the last time.”

“Then tell him that. From what I’ve heard Carlos is a good guy, he’ll understand if you just explain.”

“I did tonight. Kinda. He knows I’m an addict at least.”

“And how did he respond to that?”

“He apologized. I think he felt really bad and that made me feel kinda bad.”

“See? He didn’t blow up in your face and call you crazy. He understood. Just talk to him, okay? Figure out a way you can both get what you want out of your… arrangement.”

“Jesus dad don’t call it that.”

“Okay, okay,” Owen chuckled. “Get some rest,” he kissed the top of T.K’s head gently.

“Night dad.”

“Night T.K.”

When his dad’s door was shut firmly behind him, T.K pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hey, I know it’s late, but can we talk?”

*****

Once again T.K found himself at Carlos’ apartment in the middle of the night. This time though, he wasn’t looking for a hookup. It would just be an added bonus.

“Hey,” Carlos said when he opened the door. He pulled T.K into a gentle hug, and he went willingly, wrapping his arms around Carlos’ waist. That man gave the best damn hugs in the world, almost as good as his dad.

“Hey,” T.K said with a grin when Carlos released him.

Carlos took him by the hand and led him inside.

“You want something to drink?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

Carlos nodded and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge anyway, sitting one in front of T.K before opening his own.

“So you wanted to talk?” he said after taking a long sip from the bottle.

“Yeah. I wanted to explain myself I guess.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation. You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know. But I like you Carlos, a lot. You’re sweet, and funny, and you give good hugs, and you’re hot as hell and the sex is great. And I’m nowhere near ready for anything new with anyone right now. But I think, someday, I could be ready for something with you. But if I want that to happen, I have to be honest with you.”

Carlos nodded for him to continue.

T.K paused for a second, “Jesus this is hard.”

He cracked open his bottle of water and took a long sip.

“Take your time Tyler,” Carlos said, placing a comforting hand on his knee. 

T.K shuddered at the use of his real name, it didn’t sound so bad rolling of Carlos’ tongue like that. He took a deep, shaky breath and started again.

“I didn’t always have it great. The towers fell when I was seven. My dad was one of the firefighters at ground zero. He was gone for a week. Some kids at school told me that firefighters were dying and I was terrified that my dad was one of them. When he came home I didn’t let him out of my sight, and he didn’t let me out of his either. I slept in his bed every night for six months after he came home. He had PTSD, really bad nightmares and stuff. Sometimes he’d wake me up in the middle of the night, telling me we had to leave. It was kind of scary.”

He paused to take another sip of water and started again. 

“My parents fought a lot after 9/11. Mostly about me, which messed me up pretty bad. My mom told my dad he was babying me too much and that he was going to screw me up with his PTSD. They got a divorce right after I turned eight. My mom got custody and I only got to see my dad on weekends with supervision. He went to therapy and fought for custody. By then I was old enough to tell the judge where I wanted to live and I chose him. I never really saw my mom again after that. Dad married Katie, his second wife when I was fifteen. She was okay for a while but Dad never really knew how to pick them. They got a divorce after about two years. This is kind of a long story,” T.K apologized.

“It’s okay. Take your time, I want to know.”

T.K nodded and resumed where he left off.

“My dad worked a lot, so I was alone a lot and I was still terrified of him dying. So I decided that I wanted to be a firefighter, work with my dad so I could watch him and keep him safe. So I went into the academy, graduated top of my class and got assigned to my dad’s station. I broke my leg on a call six months later. Compound fracture, hurt like a son of a bitch. I had to have surgery, pins and all that stuff. The doctors gave me pain medicine to take while I was recovering. I was off work for months. By the time I was healed, I was addicted to the meds. I tried to hide it from my dad, I didn’t want him to think I was weak or something. But firefighters live in each other’s back pockets and when it’s your dad, it’s almost impossible to keep a secret. He found out, he yelled, I cried, then he cried and I cried more. I went to rehab and got clean. I hadn’t touched a pill or alcohol in almost two years when I met Alex.”

“The nuclear relationship you told me about?” Carlos asked, speaking up for the first time.

“Yeah. He was a really good guy, he still is I guess. We dated for almost eight months when I bought a ring and decided to propose. I know it was soon but I figured when you know you know. So I planned a fancy dinner and took him out on a date.”

T.K saw the figurative light bulb go off in Carlos’s brain.

“I pulled out the ring and proposed, and he told me he was in love with someone else. For the first time in years, all those feelings that I had when I was using came back. So I found the first guy selling oxys and bought a bunch. I went home and took them all at once.”

Carlos’ hand squeezed his knee.

“My dad found me, saved my life. Then we moved here and I met you and here we are.”

T.K let out a breath like a balloon deflating, he felt like the anvil that had been sitting on his chest since they arrived in Austin had been lifted and he could finally breathe right again. Then the tears started. He took big heaving breaths, his body wracked with sobs. 

Carlos pulled at his shoulders gently until he was tucked against his side. T.K pressed his nose to his collarbone, tears rolling down his cheeks and onto Carlos’ skin. He rocked him gently back and forth, kissing his forehead softly. 

“Kiss me?” T.K asked.

Carlos did, slow and soft, T.K’s tears salty on his lips. T.K moved, sliding into his lap.

“Hey, slow down. We don’t have to do anything.”

“I want to. I want- I-I need,” T.K whined when he couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“I got you. You’re good. You need to tell me what you want though baby.”

T.K whined again at the pet name.

“I want you.”

“Okay.”

Carlos kissed him again, hands sliding down to dip in the waistband of T.K’s pants.

“Let’s take this to the bed huh?”

T.K nodded then yelped in surprise when Carlos lifted him up.

That night, Carlos took him apart slowly, made him cry in the best way. He made him feel something again.

*****

Their relationship changed after that night. It was as if all the pieces had fallen perfectly in place. They didn’t label what they had, but they went on “dates”, T.K spent the night sometimes, and the sex was still amazing.

Carlos was amazing. He understood T.K better than almost anyone in his life. He knew when he was having a good day or a bad one and how to react to both. He knew there were days when T.K didn’t want to be touched at all and day where all he wanted was to be held. He knew that some days he would scream and other days he would cry. He knew some days the itch was worse than others.

“How are you so good at this?”

“Good at what?”

They were in Carlos’ bathtub, up to their chests in bubbles. Today had been a particularly bad day, so T.K sat between his legs as Carlos washed his hair and massaged his back. Now T.K was relaxed, slumped against him and Carlos ran his fingers through his wet hair.

“Taking care of me. You always know how to handle it no matter what kind of day I’m having.”

“I have some experience I guess.”

“What do you mean?” he perked up a little, interested, the way he always was when Carlos told him something about himself.

“My brother, I’ve told you about him right?” T.K nodded in affirmation. He didn’t know much about David, other than he was Carlos’ twin and they hadn’t seen each other in a few years.

“He was an alcoholic. He started drinking in high school, he was popular and always tried to make himself look cool. But he never knew when to stop. One night he got arrested, drunken disorderly and public intoxication, he’d gotten drunk before one of his football games and he started a fight with another player. He got expelled, lost all his scholarships. That was when he decided to get clean. I helped him through it and I remember how tough it was on him. I guess some of that carried over to you.”

“You’re good at taking care of people,” T.K murmured, nuzzling into his chest. “I love that about you.”

Carlos smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I love how strong you are Tyler Kennedy. You’ve been through so much and you still came out on top.”

T.K turned around and wrapped his full body around Carlos like a koala. They stayed that way until the bubbles dissolved and the water got cold.

It wasn’t an ‘I love you’, they weren’t there yet, but it was a start.

*****

T.K met David six months later. Carlos had to travel back to San Antonio for his cousin’s wedding and he asked T.K to go with him. He had been hesitant at first, weddings and meeting the family were a big step, but they were officially dating and Carlos knew everyone close to him. T.K figured it was only fair that he met Carlos’ family too.

Carlos spent the almost two hour drive from Austin to San Antonia preparing him for what he was about to walk into.

“Hispanic families are wild T.K, my abuela is going to feed you more tamales then you’ll know what to do with.”

“If they’re anywhere near as good as your tamales I will happily eat them.”

“Hers are better. My family is big, that’s a lot of names to learn. I have four sisters for crying out loud. And David will be there-”

“Carlos, stop stressing. I’m supposed to be the dramatic one in this relationship. It’s gonna be fine. I’ll eat your abuela’s tamales and I’ll write names on my hand or something. I can do this,” that last part was more for himself than Carlos.

When they arrived at Carlos’ parents house, they had barely stepped out of the truck before Carlos was flocked by four screaming girls. 

“Carlos we missed you!”

“What did you bring us?”

“Who is that?”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Girls, let your brother breathe.”

A woman who looked to be about the same age as his dad descendened the steps on the house to hug Carlos.

“Hi mama.”

“Carlos, we’ve missed you. And you must be Tyler. We’ve heard so much about you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you too. All good things I promise. And it’s T.K, no one calls me Tyler unless I’m in trouble.”

“Well T.K everyone is excited to meet you. Especially these four.”

“I can see that. Let me see,” T.K tapped his chin in fake thoughtfulness. “Sophia, Victoria, Mia and Zoe,” he said going down the line. He’d made Carlos show him pictures of his sisters and make sure he knew which one was which. He really wanted brownie points with his little sisters.

“How’d you know?” Mia, the youngest gasped.

“Magic,” he teased.

After that, the girls were in love with him. They dragged him away from Carlos, pulling him off to see the house and the garden.

“Hey can I have my boyfriend back?” Carlos asked them almost an hour later when he found them in the garden, showing T.K the roses.

“Come on girls,” Carlos’ father called out the door. “Go get ready for dinner.”

When the girls were inside, Carlos stepped out into the garden, followed by aboy who looked just like him.

“T.K this is David.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You’re not from around here are you?”

“No, I’m from New York. I moved about a year ago with my dad. He took over firehouse 126 in Austin.”

“Are you a firefighter?”

“Yeah I am.”

“A cop and a firefighter, that’s a combination.”

“David lay off yeah?”

“We’re just talking little brother.”

“Little- I’m two minutes younger than you.”

“Yeah and those two minutes were the best of my life. I was an only child.”

T.K had to laugh at that.

“Please don’t encourage him.”

“Sorry,” T.K apologized, kissing Carlos’ cheek. “Come on, let’s go see if your tamale making skills come from your Abuela.”

*****

Laying in bed that night, T.K turned and pressed a kiss to Carlos' chest right above his heart.

"I love you. You know that right?"

"I know baby. I love you too."


	2. Under My Skin (unclean ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the alternate ending to the story. All details remain the same. If you don't want to read the sex scene don't go any further.

TK was clutching the ice pack to his eye, feeling miserable for himself when none other than Carlos Reyes sat down at the desk in front of him.

“Seriously?” he huffed, sitting back in his chair.

“Austin is a small town TK. Or should I say Tyler Kennedy.”

TK shook his head at the use of his full name, the sound of it making him slump down, shrinking like he used to when he was in trouble and his dad called him Tyler Kennedy.

“Bummer about getting arrested, people might find out your real name. Which marks the first actual thing I’ve learned about you.”

“Isn’t you processing me like a conflict of interest or something?” TK asked, pulling the ice away from his face to look Carlos in the eye. 

“The good news is, neither of your new friends wants to talk about your scuffle tonight,” Carlos said, ignoring his question and reaching down to free him from the cuffs. Since you blew at a 0.0, we’re not even giving you a drunken disorderly.” Carlos slid the plastic bag that held his phone and wallet toward him. “You’re free to go.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is, that means you did this with a clear head.” Carlos sighed and leaned closer. “I’m not trying to be your boyfriend. Or even your friend if you’re not into it, but you should talk to someone about why you felt compelled to do something so suicidal.”

TK’s jaw clenched. Once again, Carlos had unintentionally hit a nerve. What was it about this guy that got so under TK’s skin?

When TK stayed quiet, Carlos sighed again and handed him a box of tissues.

“You’ve got a little crud there, by the way.” Carlos gestured to his mouth.

TK snatched a tissue and wiped at his lip.

“Other side.”

TK rolled his lips and tried again.

“Stop. Just let me.”

Carlos grabbed another tissue and dabbed gently at the corner of his mouth.

“Thanks,” TK whispered, shivering at the brush of Carlos’ knuckles against his jaw. It was unintentional, but there he went again, getting under his skin.

TK hesitated before leaning into Carlos’ space and lowering his voice.

“I’m sorry I went crazy on you the other night.”

“I’m a cop. I’m used to crazy.”

TK hated the dismissive tone.

“Look, I just went through a really bad breakup. Like nuclear bad,” his breath hitched. “And then I relapsed.”

“You mean with me?”

Carlos still wouldn’t look at him.

“No,” he kept his eyes trained on the ground, ashamed of what he was about to say. “I mean with substances.”

Carlos finally met his eyes, “Right. Which explains your reaction to the champagne. I’m such an idiot. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine okay? And, ever since I’ve gotten here it’s-it’s just gray. I just feel numb all the time. I guess I just- I wanted to feel something.”

TK quickly snatched his phone and wallet and stood.

“Judging by that lip I’d say mission accomplished.”

The words stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at Carlos, giving him his best bitchy look.

“You really busting my balls right now?”   


“Yeah. I suppose I am.”

TK bit his lip to hide his smile, repressing the urge to kiss that little smirk off his face. 

*****

“What the hell happened to you? Oh wait, don’t tell me. Bar fight.”

T.K jumped at the sound of Owen’s voice. His dad was sat at the kitchen island, holding a cup of coffee, waiting on him like he used to as a teenager when he was out too late.

“How did you know?” He asked, crossing the room to sit on the stool next to him.

“Carlos called me.”

“Damn it Carlos,” T.K muttered.

“He said you blew 0.0, so you’re not in trouble for that.”

“What are you gonna do ground me?”

Owen just raised his eyebrows at him.

“Sorry,” TK mumbled.

“It’s okay. I know it’s been rough, but you can’t just go out looking for dangerous shit to do.”

“I know. I’m just- I’m sick of feeling numb all the time. It sucks.”

“I know bud,” Owen placed a firm hand on the back of his neck. “It’s gonna get better. Now go get some ice for that eye and tell me about Carlos.”

“Seriously dad?”

“Yes seriously.”

TK stood up and grabbed a bag of frozen peas, that he wrapped in a dish towel and pressed over his eye.

“There’s not much of a story. We hooked up and then it got- weird.”

“Weird how?”

“Well he cooked me dinner.”

“Oh my God that’s horrible,” Owen gasped in fake shock. “I can’t believe he’d do something like that.”

“Dad.”

“Sorry. I just don’t see the problem.”

“He cooked me dinner, and he had champagne and he tried to make it a whole thing. And I know it wasn’t his fault because he didn’t know and he was just trying to be nice but I flipped out anyway.”

“Okay, breathe bud,” Owen paused for a second. “Do you like Carlos?”   


“Yeah. At least I think I could. But I’m not ready to be someone’s boyfriend again. Not after the last time.”

“Then tell him that. From what I’ve heard Carlos is a good guy, he’ll understand if you just explain.”

“I did tonight. Kinda. He knows I’m an addict at least.”

“And how did he respond to that?”

“He apologized. I think he felt really bad and that made me feel kinda bad.”

“See? He didn’t blow up in your face and call you crazy. He understood. Just talk to him, okay? Figure out a way you can both get what you want out of your… arrangement.”

“Jesus dad don’t call it that.”

“Okay, okay,” Owen chuckled. “Get some rest,” he kissed the top of T.K’s head gently.

“Night dad.”

“Night T.K.”

When his dad’s door was shut firmly behind him, T.K pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hey, I know it’s late, but can we talk.”

*****

Once again T.K found himself at Carlos’ apartment in the middle of the night. This time though, he wasn’t looking for a hookup. It would just be an added bonus.

“Hey,” Carlos said when he opened the door. He pulled T.K into a gentle hug, and he went willingly, wrapping his arms around Carlos’ waist. That man gave the best damn hugs in the world, almost as good as his dad.

“Hey,” T.K said with a grin when Carlos released him.

Carlos took him by the hand and led him inside.

“You want something to drink?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

Carlos nodded and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge anyway, sitting one in front of T.K before opening his own.

“So you wanted to talk?” he said after taking a long sip from the bottle.

“Yeah. I wanted to explain myself I guess.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation. You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know. But I like you Carlos, a lot. You’re sweet, and funny, and you give good hugs, and you’re hot as hell and the sex is great. And I’m nowhere near ready for anything new with anyone right now. But I think, someday, I could be ready for something with you. But if I want that to happen, I have to be honest with you.”

Carlos nodded for him to continue.

T.K paused for a second, “Jesus this is hard.”

He cracked open his bottle of water and took a long sip.

“Take your time Tyler,” Carlos said, placing a comforting hand on his knee. 

T.K shuddered at the use of his real name, it didn’t sound so bad rolling of Carlos’ tongue like that. He took a deep, shaky breath and started again.

“I didn’t always have it great. The towers fell when I was seven. My dad was one of the firefighters at ground zero. He was gone for a week. Some kids at school told me that firefighters were dying and I was terrified that my dad was one of them. When he came home I didn’t let him out of my sight, and he didn’t let me out of his either. I slept in his bed every night for six months after he came home. He had PTSD, really bad nightmares and stuff. Sometimes he’d wake me up in the middle of the night, telling me we had to leave. It was kind of scary.”

He paused to take another sip of water and started again. 

“My parents fought a lot after 9/11. Mostly about me, which messed me up pretty bad. My mom told my dad he was babying me too much and that he was going to screw me up with his PTSD. They got a divorce right after I turned eight. My mom got custody and I only got to see my dad on weekends with supervision. He went to therapy and fought for custody. By then I was old enough to tell the judge where I wanted to live and I chose him. I never really saw my mom again after that. Dad married Katie, his second wife when I was fifteen. She was okay for a while but Dad never really knew how to pick them. They got a divorce after about two years. This is kind of a long story,” T.K apologized.

“It’s okay. Take your time, I want to know.”

T.K nodded and resumed where he left off.

“My dad worked a lot, so I was alone a lot and I was still terrified of him dying. So I decided that I wanted to be a firefighter, work with my dad so I could watch him and keep him safe.So I went into the academy, graduated top of my class and got assigned to my dad’s station. I broke my leg on a call six months later. Compound fracture, hurt like a son of a bitch. I had to have surgery, pins and all that stuff. The doctors gave me pain medicine to take while I was recovering. I was off work for months. By the time I was healed, I was addicted to the meds. I tried to hide it from my dad, I didn’t want him to think I was weak or something. But firefighters live in each other’s back pockets and when it’s your dad, it’s almost impossible to keep a secret. He found out, he yelled, I cried, then he cried and I cried more. I went to rehab and got clean. I hadn’t touched a pill or alcohol in almost two years when I met Alex.”

“The nuclear relationship you told me about?” Carlos asked, speaking up for the first time.

“Yeah. He was a really good guy, he still is I guess. We dated for almost eight months when I bought a ring and decided to propose. I know it was soon but I figured when you know you know. So I planned a fancy dinner and took him out on a date.”

T.K saw the figurative light bulb go off in Carlos’s brain.

“I pulled out the ring and proposed, and he told me he was in love with someone else. For the first time in years, all those feelings that I had when I was using came back. So I found the first guy selling oxys and bought a bunch. I went home and took them all at once.”

Carlos’ hand squeezed his knee.

“My dad found me, saved my life. Then we moved here and I met you and here we are.”

T.K let out a breath like a balloon deflating, he felt like the anvil that had been sitting on his chest since they arrived in Austin had been lifted and he could finally breathe right again. Then the tears started. He took big heaving breaths, his body wracked with sobs. 

Carlos pulled at his shoulders gently until he was tucked against his side. T.K pressed his nose to his collarbone, tears rolling down his cheeks and onto Carlos’ skin. He rocked him gently back and forth, kissing his forehead softly. 

“Kiss me?” T.K asked.

Carlos did, slow and soft, T.K’s tears salty on his lips. T.K moved, sliding into his lap.

“Hey, slow down. We don’t have to do anything.”

“I want to. I want- I-I need,” T.K whined when he couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“I got you. You’re good. You need to tell me what you want though baby.”

T.K whined again at the pet name.

“I want you.”

“Okay.”

Carlos kissed him again, hands sliding down to dip in the waistband of T.K’s pants.

“Let’s take this to the bed huh?”

T.K nodded then yelped in surprise when Carlos lifted him up.

That night, Carlos took him apart slowly, made him cry in the best way. He made him feel something again.

*****

Their relationship changed after that night. It was as if all the pieces had fallen perfectly in place. They didn’t label what they had, but they went on “dates”, T.K spent the night sometimes, and the sex was still amazing.

Carlos was amazing. He understood T.K better than almost anyone in his life. He knew when he was having a good day or a bad one and how to react to both. He knew there were days when T.K didn’t want to be touched at all and day where all he wanted was to be held. He knew that some days he would scream and other days he would cry. He knew some days the itch was worse than others.

“How are you so good at this?”

“Good at what?”

They were in Carlos’ bathtub, up to their chests in bubbles. Today had been a particularly bad day, so T.K sat between his legs as Carlos washed his hair and massaged his back. Now T.K was relaxed, slumped against him and Carlos ran his fingers through his wet hair.

“Taking care of me. You always know how to handle it no matter what kind of day I’m having.”

“I have some experience I guess.”

“What do you mean?” he perked up a little, interested, the way he always was when Carlos told him something about himself.

“My brother, I’ve told you about him right?” T.K nodded in affirmation. He didn’t know much about David, other than he was Carlos’ twin and they hadn’t seen each other in a few years.

“He was an alcoholic. He started drinking in high school, he was popular and always tried to make himself look cool. But he never knew when to stop. One night he got arrested, drunken disorderly and public intoxication, he’d gotten drunk before one of his football games and he started a fight with another player. He got expelled, lost all his scholarships. That was when he decided to get clean. I helped him through it and I remember how tough it was on him. I guess some of that carried over to you.”

“You’re good at taking care of people,” T.K murmured, nuzzling into his chest. “I love that about you.”

Carlos smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I love how strong you are Tyler Kennedy. You’ve been through so much and you still came out on top.”

T.K turned around and wrapped his full body around Carlos like a koala. They stayed that way until the bubbles dissolved and the water got cold.

It wasn’t an ‘I love you’, they weren’t there yet, but it was a start.

*****

T.K met David six months later. Carlos had to travel back to San Antonio for his cousin’s wedding and he asked T.K to go with him. He had been hesitant at first, weddings and meeting the family were a big step, but they were officially dating and Carlos knew everyone close to him. T.K figured it was only fair that he met Carlos’ family too.

Carlos spent the almost two hour drive from Austin to San Antonia preparing him for what he was about to walk into.

“Hispanic families are wild T.K, my abuela is going to feed you more tamales then you’ll know what to do with.”

“If they’re anywhere near as good as your tamales I will happily eat them.”

“Hers are better. My family is big, that’s a lot of names to learn. I have four sisters for crying out loud. And David will be there-”

“Carlos, stop stressing. I’m supposed to be the dramatic one in this relationship. It’s gonna be fine. I’ll eat your abuela’s tamales and I’ll write names on my hand or something. I can do this,” that last part was more for himself than Carlos.

When they arrived at Carlos’ parents house, they had barely stepped out of the truck before Carlos was flocked by four screaming girls. 

“Carlos we missed you!”

“What did you bring us?”

“Who is that?”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Girls, let your brother breathe.”

A woman who looked to be about the same age as his dad descendened the steps on the house to hug Carlos.

“Hi mama.”

“Carlos, we’ve missed you. And you must be Tyler. We’ve heard so much about you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you too. All good things I promise. And it’s T.K, no one calls me Tyler unless I’m in trouble.”

“Well T.K everyone is excited to meet you. Especially these four.”

“I can see that. Let me see,” T.K tapped his chin in fake thoughtfulness. “Sophia, Victoria, Mia and Zoe,” he said going down the line. He’d made Carlos show him pictures of his sisters and make sure he knew which one was which. He really wanted brownie points with his little sisters.

“How’d you know?” Mia, the youngest gasped.

“Magic,” he teased.

After that, the girls were in love with him. They dragged him away from Carlos, pulling him off to see the house and the garden.

“Hey can I have my boyfriend back?” Carlos asked them almost an hour later when he found them in the garden, showing T.K the roses.

“Come on girls,” Carlos’ father called out the door. “Go get ready for dinner.”

When the girls were inside, Carlos stepped out into the garden, followed by aboy who looked just like him.

“T.K this is David.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You’re not from around here are you?”

“No, I’m from New York. I moved about a year ago with my dad. He took over firehouse 126 in Austin.”

“Are you a firefighter?”

“Yeah I am.”

“A cop and a firefighter, that’s a combination.”

“David lay off yeah?”

“We’re just talking little brother.”

“Little- I’m two minutes younger than you.”

“Yeah and those two minutes were the best of my life. I was an only child.”

T.K had to laugh at that.

“Please don’t encourage him.”

“Sorry,” T.K apologized, kissing Carlos’ cheek. “Come on, let’s go see if your tamale making skills come from your Abuela.”

Throughout the entire meal, T.K could feel David eyes on him, staring a hole into him. The combination of his heated gaze and Carlos’ hand on his thigh had his pants tightening uncomfortably.

When he emerged from the shower and into Carlos’ childhood bedroom, he found David sitting on the bed waiting.

“You are so pretty,” he said, moving slowly toward him. A hand reached out to cup his jaw. “Carlos has always liked ‘em pretty. I see why he went for you.”

“Back off David.”

T.K stumbled back into Carlos when he appeared behind them.

“C’mon little brother. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve shared.”

“Wait a minute, you’ve hooked up with guys together?”

“Yeah a few times in high school.”

“That is so hot,” T.K lunged forward and attacked Carlos’ mouth.

“Wait, you’re into this?” Carlos pushed T.K back gently, holding onto his shoulders.

“I’m so into this. Carlos please,” he whined.

Carlos’ eyes darkened, “What do you want Tyler?”   
“I want you and your brother to fuck me. Please papi.”

“Fuck,” Carlos moaned.

“You heard him ‘Los.”

Carlos kissed him hard, steering him back toward the bed, while David started to get undressed.

“He’s your boyfriend. You call the shots, how does he like it?”

“I think he’s looking for rough tonight. Huh baby? You want it to hurt?”

T.K nodded and whined pitifully.

“Uh uh, words carino.”

“Yes. Yes please.”

“Good. You wanna suck my dick while he eats you out.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Okay, flip over.”

Carlos knew how much T.K loved to be eaten out. He’d told him once that Alex would never do it because he thought it was gross, since then Carlos had made it a point to do it every time he asked, and sometimes when he didn’t.

David’s tongue in his ass had T.K whining around the cock in his mouth. Carlos threaded a hand through his hair and pushed him down gently.

“Deeper baby. I know you can do it,” he sighed when T.K choked on it just a little. “That’s it baby. Fuck you’re good at that.”

He held him down until his eyes began to water and then released him. They followed that pattern a few more times until T.K tapped his thigh twice, their signal for stop.

Carlos pulled away instantly and put a hand on David’s shoulder to stop him.

“What is it baby? Do you wanna stop?”

“No. I just want you to fuck me now.”

“I can do that. Do you need me to stretch you?”

Carlos and David began to swap places.

“No, I’m good.”

“Okay.”

Carlos dug some lube out of their bag and warmed it on his hands before rubbing it over T.K’s hole, just in case. 

“Ready love?”

T.K nodded, his mouth already full of David. He moaned as Carlos slid in, making David moan with him.

“Fuck he’s good at this. I’m not gonna last long.”

“Neither is he. Look at him.”

T.K was practically boneless, he was so fucked out. He was having a hard time holding himself up on his arms so Carlos pulled out and gently turned him over. He always liked to look at T.K’s face when he came anyway.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” David said, pulling out of T.K’s mouth and beginning to jerkk himself. A few short strokes later, he was cumming over T.K’s chest.

T.K was next whining pitifully and spilling over his stomach. Carlos came right behind him, spilling into T.K’s ass. He collapsed on top of him, not pulling out just yet. He kissed softly all over T.K’s face, whispering praise and wiping his tears.

David left and returned a minute later with two bottles of water and a wet cloth before disappearing again.

The couple laid there, still joined together until Carlos had the energy to pick himself up. He cleaned T.k up gently with the cool cloth before sitting him up and letting him take small sips of water.

“That was so fucking good,” T.K said, pressing against his side.

“Yeah it was.”

“I love you,” T.K turned his head to press a kiss to Carlos’ chest, right above his heart.

“I love you too.”


End file.
